He ended up in a small clearing where a makeshift camp was set up. He could
only count five of the men before he was led into a big camouflaged tent,
and pressed into a chair next to a desk. Across the desk sat another man,
who had white hair and a crooked nose.
His clothes looked better, and they had some embroidery on them. Jack guessed he was a leader of some kind.
The white haired man said something in Spanish. It sounded like a question. Jack nodded, completely unsure of what was just asked. The man said something else. Jack answered with, "Buenos Diaz", the only Spanish word he knew. The man across from him frowned. Then he snapped an order at one of his men, who left the tent.
They sat in silence, the man looking Jack over. And Jack fidgeting under the gaze.
The soldier finally returned with another soldier.
"You speakas English?" the new man asked.
"Yes", Jack answered. He wasn't sure where this was going.
"You a know de girl you ride with?" Jack figured they were talking about Dan.
"Yes" he replied, feeling like a parrot who knew only one word.
"Where she hide?" he asked.
Jack decided he should try to talk his way out.
"Well mate, what kinda gentleman would I be to know where a lady abodes, I ain't never been to her house and I was never invited there. She keeps secrets like every other girl I ever met, I only stumbled across 'er ya know, pure luck. See I stole one of 'er 'orses and she was trying ta shoot me but your men got in tha way tha's all" he said quickly, hoping to lose the man who had a poor grip on the English language.
The translator glared at him and he smiled, once again flashing his teeth. There was a shout from outside and the flap to the tent opened to emit a soldier who said something in Spanish. The white-haired man rose and followed the man outside.
Dan was standing on the edge of the camp; five dead men lay sprawled around her, arrows protruding from their chests. She swung the arrow to lock onto Jacks motley crew. The old man whistled and eight men appeared, arrows on strings, all locked onto her. The man shouted something, which was evidently 'drop your weapon you're surrounded'. She looked rather angry as she threw down her bow and arrow.
Possibly because she was caught or because she had been trapped. The white- haired man motioned his troops forward and they disarmed her of her knives, boots (which were full of knives), and her quiver. She kept her hands on her head while they did this.
"Why'd ye come back?" Jack hissed as she was ushered into the tent with him.
"They had my bag and horse" she shrugged.
He didn't have a reply to this so he shut up. They were both seated across from the general, who stood across from them. His hands were clenched in fists and he leant on them, leaning towards the captives.
This, in Jacks' experience, was never a good sign.
The man fired a string of Spanish words. He sounded very angry and the fast pace of his language made it seem even more aggravated.
When he had quite finished he glared at the two, both leaning as far away from him as the chairs allowed. His face was so red it looked like it was going to explode.
"I say, I think I've made him slightly annoyed" Dan commented dryly in an exaggerated English accent. Jack grinned; it was funny, even though it was so serious.
"What'd he say?" he asked her, very keen on knowing what he was being accused of.
"How should I know! He's speaking Spanish!"
"I thought you knew Spanish?!" Jack said slightly surprised.
"What gave you THAT idea? I can't speak a word of it other than muchacho!"
"Really? What does muchacho mean?" Jack said as if increasing his Spanish vocabulary was the only thing he had to do.
She went to answer but was cut short as the general slammed his hand onto the desk. She looked at him in annoyance and Jack looked at him questioningly. It seemed that this was not the response he had wanted. He barked at the translator, who nodded and turned to the two.
"The command-her wants to know wheres you keep your horses?" the man said slowly. Emphasizing the white haired mans position.
"Why, what makes him think I have horses?" Dan said lightly, trying to bluff her way out of it.
"De Command-her is been up the mountain and he is seen your horse paddock" the man explained with clipped endings on all his words.
"Ah, I see" she answered. Jack could almost hear the clogs in her mind spinning into hyper-drive.
"If, and I mean if I had horses what would he want with them?" she asked cautiously.
"De Command-her and his men are low on horses and need more" the man explained crudely.
Her different colored eyes narrowed. "Then I don't have any horses, do I?" she said huffily. The very suggestion that they could just rob her was ludicrous. She wouldn't stand for it.
The commander spoke to the translator who relayed what had just happened.
He stood and instead of getting into a huffing rage he smiled.
Jack resisted the urge to get out of his chair and run.
The commander said something that sounded all too convinced. The translator spoke.
"You will give us the horses or it will be bad for you" he said solemnly.
Unfortunately it seemed Dan was extremely stubborn when it came to her possessions.
"Oooh NOW I'm scared" was her reply.
The translator had a poor grip on the English language; but it seemed that he knew sarcasm when he heard it.
The general did as well. He clicked his fingers, said something in the gibberish Jack didn't understand and both prisoners were escorted outside the tent. They were then led in different directions. Jack had to be dragged, which he thought was funny. Dan however was walking stiffly ahead of her guards and snapped at them when they touched her.
Jack ended up in another tent. It was smaller, had a thin rug, was on a dirt floor and guards patrolled the perimeter every few seconds.
He sighed.
**************************************************************
The sun made its way across the sky. It was now late afternoon; the tent was red from the suns glow.
Jack was half dozing. It had been very quiet; almost too quiet the guards outside his tent had not even talked to each other.
He was musing over how Dan would be taking this. And when she was going to crack. He was sure she would after a while. She was only a girl after all, albeit a murderess thief girl, but still a girl all the same.
Then there was a shout across the camp. One of the guards stuck his head in the tent, saw Jack then answered the shout. There was noise all over the camp, people running, hurried feet and hurried talk.
Through the thick of the rush Jack heard the Generals voice yelling commands. He grinned. It sounded like someone had escaped.
Two guesses who.
The racket died down as the soldiers disappeared into the forest looking for Dan. Since she had shot a great deal of them one of Jacks guards left too. The remaining guard circled his tent continuously, leaving no room for him to escape. As if he would anyway, the general had his effects. He watched the guards silhouette walk around him again and again. He also watched as the skulking smaller silhouette crept up behind the guard and sprung, twisting his neck. The bigger silhouette fell and didn't get up.
Dan entered the tent.
Her face was a mess. She had a nasty bruise on her left cheekbone, a split lip and there was a red stain where she had wiped away blood that had trickled down her face.
"Hello, dropped in for a spot of tea?" he asked mockingly. He was slightly nervous of the way she had just killed that guard.
She rolled her eyes.
"Shut up you, we're getting out of here", she said good-naturedly and pulled out the guards' knife. He hadn't seen her silhouette take that.
"How?" he asked.
"Same way I did, we dig a hole big enough for you to sit in and then cover it with the rug. You underneath, they look in. You appear to have gone, they search the forest for you. We steal back my boots and then the horses and ride to your ship. That's that everybody's happy", she said joyfully.
He grinned. And people said he was mad.
"Right, let's do it then" he said enthusiastically and set about digging his hole.
Dan sliced a flap in the tent wall to make it look like he had escaped.
********************************************************
His clothes looked better, and they had some embroidery on them. Jack guessed he was a leader of some kind.
The white haired man said something in Spanish. It sounded like a question. Jack nodded, completely unsure of what was just asked. The man said something else. Jack answered with, "Buenos Diaz", the only Spanish word he knew. The man across from him frowned. Then he snapped an order at one of his men, who left the tent.
They sat in silence, the man looking Jack over. And Jack fidgeting under the gaze.
The soldier finally returned with another soldier.
"You speakas English?" the new man asked.
"Yes", Jack answered. He wasn't sure where this was going.
"You a know de girl you ride with?" Jack figured they were talking about Dan.
"Yes" he replied, feeling like a parrot who knew only one word.
"Where she hide?" he asked.
Jack decided he should try to talk his way out.
"Well mate, what kinda gentleman would I be to know where a lady abodes, I ain't never been to her house and I was never invited there. She keeps secrets like every other girl I ever met, I only stumbled across 'er ya know, pure luck. See I stole one of 'er 'orses and she was trying ta shoot me but your men got in tha way tha's all" he said quickly, hoping to lose the man who had a poor grip on the English language.
The translator glared at him and he smiled, once again flashing his teeth. There was a shout from outside and the flap to the tent opened to emit a soldier who said something in Spanish. The white-haired man rose and followed the man outside.
Dan was standing on the edge of the camp; five dead men lay sprawled around her, arrows protruding from their chests. She swung the arrow to lock onto Jacks motley crew. The old man whistled and eight men appeared, arrows on strings, all locked onto her. The man shouted something, which was evidently 'drop your weapon you're surrounded'. She looked rather angry as she threw down her bow and arrow.
Possibly because she was caught or because she had been trapped. The white- haired man motioned his troops forward and they disarmed her of her knives, boots (which were full of knives), and her quiver. She kept her hands on her head while they did this.
"Why'd ye come back?" Jack hissed as she was ushered into the tent with him.
"They had my bag and horse" she shrugged.
He didn't have a reply to this so he shut up. They were both seated across from the general, who stood across from them. His hands were clenched in fists and he leant on them, leaning towards the captives.
This, in Jacks' experience, was never a good sign.
The man fired a string of Spanish words. He sounded very angry and the fast pace of his language made it seem even more aggravated.
When he had quite finished he glared at the two, both leaning as far away from him as the chairs allowed. His face was so red it looked like it was going to explode.
"I say, I think I've made him slightly annoyed" Dan commented dryly in an exaggerated English accent. Jack grinned; it was funny, even though it was so serious.
"What'd he say?" he asked her, very keen on knowing what he was being accused of.
"How should I know! He's speaking Spanish!"
"I thought you knew Spanish?!" Jack said slightly surprised.
"What gave you THAT idea? I can't speak a word of it other than muchacho!"
"Really? What does muchacho mean?" Jack said as if increasing his Spanish vocabulary was the only thing he had to do.
She went to answer but was cut short as the general slammed his hand onto the desk. She looked at him in annoyance and Jack looked at him questioningly. It seemed that this was not the response he had wanted. He barked at the translator, who nodded and turned to the two.
"The command-her wants to know wheres you keep your horses?" the man said slowly. Emphasizing the white haired mans position.
"Why, what makes him think I have horses?" Dan said lightly, trying to bluff her way out of it.
"De Command-her is been up the mountain and he is seen your horse paddock" the man explained with clipped endings on all his words.
"Ah, I see" she answered. Jack could almost hear the clogs in her mind spinning into hyper-drive.
"If, and I mean if I had horses what would he want with them?" she asked cautiously.
"De Command-her and his men are low on horses and need more" the man explained crudely.
Her different colored eyes narrowed. "Then I don't have any horses, do I?" she said huffily. The very suggestion that they could just rob her was ludicrous. She wouldn't stand for it.
The commander spoke to the translator who relayed what had just happened.
He stood and instead of getting into a huffing rage he smiled.
Jack resisted the urge to get out of his chair and run.
The commander said something that sounded all too convinced. The translator spoke.
"You will give us the horses or it will be bad for you" he said solemnly.
Unfortunately it seemed Dan was extremely stubborn when it came to her possessions.
"Oooh NOW I'm scared" was her reply.
The translator had a poor grip on the English language; but it seemed that he knew sarcasm when he heard it.
The general did as well. He clicked his fingers, said something in the gibberish Jack didn't understand and both prisoners were escorted outside the tent. They were then led in different directions. Jack had to be dragged, which he thought was funny. Dan however was walking stiffly ahead of her guards and snapped at them when they touched her.
Jack ended up in another tent. It was smaller, had a thin rug, was on a dirt floor and guards patrolled the perimeter every few seconds.
He sighed.
**************************************************************
The sun made its way across the sky. It was now late afternoon; the tent was red from the suns glow.
Jack was half dozing. It had been very quiet; almost too quiet the guards outside his tent had not even talked to each other.
He was musing over how Dan would be taking this. And when she was going to crack. He was sure she would after a while. She was only a girl after all, albeit a murderess thief girl, but still a girl all the same.
Then there was a shout across the camp. One of the guards stuck his head in the tent, saw Jack then answered the shout. There was noise all over the camp, people running, hurried feet and hurried talk.
Through the thick of the rush Jack heard the Generals voice yelling commands. He grinned. It sounded like someone had escaped.
Two guesses who.
The racket died down as the soldiers disappeared into the forest looking for Dan. Since she had shot a great deal of them one of Jacks guards left too. The remaining guard circled his tent continuously, leaving no room for him to escape. As if he would anyway, the general had his effects. He watched the guards silhouette walk around him again and again. He also watched as the skulking smaller silhouette crept up behind the guard and sprung, twisting his neck. The bigger silhouette fell and didn't get up.
Dan entered the tent.
Her face was a mess. She had a nasty bruise on her left cheekbone, a split lip and there was a red stain where she had wiped away blood that had trickled down her face.
"Hello, dropped in for a spot of tea?" he asked mockingly. He was slightly nervous of the way she had just killed that guard.
She rolled her eyes.
"Shut up you, we're getting out of here", she said good-naturedly and pulled out the guards' knife. He hadn't seen her silhouette take that.
"How?" he asked.
"Same way I did, we dig a hole big enough for you to sit in and then cover it with the rug. You underneath, they look in. You appear to have gone, they search the forest for you. We steal back my boots and then the horses and ride to your ship. That's that everybody's happy", she said joyfully.
He grinned. And people said he was mad.
"Right, let's do it then" he said enthusiastically and set about digging his hole.
Dan sliced a flap in the tent wall to make it look like he had escaped.
********************************************************